Tuesday, March 20, 2012

J.L. Hudson's Department Store

I've lived in southeastern Michigan most of my life. While this area has been home to several well-known department stores over the years, the most notable store that none could surpass was J.L. Hudson's on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit.

Photo Courtesy of Central Business District Foundation

In early 2011, Angela McRae at Tea With Friends rekindled my interest in the J.L Hudson flagship store as she shared recipes and memorabilia on her blog from department store tea rooms that existed across the United States in times past.

Hudson's is alive and well in the hearts and minds of Detroiters and suburbanites, even though its doors closed permanently in 1983, and the building was imploded in 1998.

I saw the film "The History of Hudson's" at The Detroit Historical Museum...

and met Mr. Mike Hauser who co-authored two books about Hudson's...

and

and recently I became the author of an article about Hudson's for the magazine publication, Miss Kitty's Journal. The research and memorabilia acquisitions have been incredibly fun and addicting! Special thanks to Mr. Hauser for sharing his knowledge and information with me regarding J.L. Hudson's Department Store.

My blog posts the next couple of days will be in honor of this great department store. I hope you'll pour yourself a cup of tea, and take a nostalgic walk down memory lane with me. Hopefully, you'll be inspired to reflect on the department store that once resided in your city.

2 comments:

When I was in my early 20's I worked for Catalina Swimwear and Cole of California Swimwear as a collections personnel. I had to do collections for past due bills from stores such as J.L. Hudson's. So it is always fun to hear about these old department stores that I knew around the country from a different perspective.

Oh, you *know* I will enjoy these posts immensely since I might not have known much about Hudson's if it weren't for you! I read Mr. Hauser's first book shown above and practically fell in love with Hudson's because of it. I felt I'd lost a friend when I read the building was imploded! I would love to see that film one day.